“Consciousness is the medium which carries the messages which compose experience. Psychotherapies are concerned with these messages and their meanings; meditation instead directs itself to the nature of the medium, consciousness. These two approaches are by no means mutually exclusive; rather, they are complementary. A therapy of the future may integrate techniques from both approaches, possibly producing a change in the whole person more thoroughgoing and more potent than either in isolation” (Varieties of Meditative Experience,1988)

That future is now!

I’ve been working in the field of personal development, counselling and psychotherapy for over twenty years. People fascinate me; the more I learn about others the better I know myself. I’m thrilled to be practising as a professional psychologist at the very same time that science is finding such compelling evidence for the effectiveness of meditation in alleviating human suffering. Though I’ve ‘known this’ from personal subjective experience since the early 80’s, I now find myself at the cutting edge of contemporary developments in counselling and psychotherapy.

The rapidly developing, so-called ‘3rd wave’ of the CBT tradition suggests a way of working whereby I can honour the values of my earlier humanistic training, integrate the insights and practices from my involvement with the ‘mindfulness and acceptance’ traditions, and conduct myself as a ‘scientist practitioner’ by offering my clients evidence-based treatment, ie, working with what works. Setting aside our personal lives (if only for a moment!) to consider contemporary society, culture, world economic order, climate & environment…there are few certainties, many dilemmas, contradictions and paradoxes, multiple emerging emergencies. Let’s face it, who wouldn’t feel perturbed?

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Jiddu Krishnamurti

It is vital, then, that the work of psychotherapy be informed by – and directed towards – what clients themselves truly value. We can often be out of touch with our values – if this is the case, we’d best be wary of goal-setting because our subsequent striving may not be in accord with our purpose! Living life ‘on purpose’ is surely a worthier goal than ‘fitting in’?

Though, a measure of ‘fitting in’ is often required before our purpose can become accessible. And I have had my share of ‘fitting in’ in order to be practising as a professional in this line of work:

You’ll see from the side bar that I work in different formats, in various places, with couples, families, individuals, groups, via training, supervision, coaching, mediation, mentoring. I have a some ‘specialisms’ – mainly due to extensive work experience in those areas: addiction, trauma, working with men, childhood abuse & neglect, anxiety, anger, depression, personality disorder, bereavement, domestic violence, parenting issues. But I’ll hold back from an itemised list of ‘conditions I can work with’ because, – however you label ‘the problem’, – a successful outcome boils down to enabling movement away from the grip of psychological inflexibility and towards the openness and fresh opportunities that come with greater psychological flexibility. Thanks for reading this far. Please explore my pages; maybe we can find a way in which I can be helpful? Call:

07950802613, 01473 356302 or email: martin@martinwilks.com

May you – and all beings – be happy, be peaceful, and be liberated from the grip of self-centred & self-critical conditioning.